Pelé

Edson Arantes do Nascimento was born on 23 October 1940 in Três Corações, Minas Gerais, Brazil, the son of a small‑town footballer (Dondinho) and Celeste Arantes. He grew up playing football on the streets and developed rapidly as a gifted youth player; by age 15 he had joined Santos FC and by 16 was selected for the Brazil national team. Pelé burst onto the world stage at the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden, where as a 17‑year‑old he scored six goals, including two in the final, helping Brazil win its first World Cup and becoming the youngest World Cup winner and youngest World Cup hat‑trick scorer to that date. He remained a dominant figure for both Santos and Brazil throughout the 1960s, contributing to Brazil’s World Cup victories in 1962 and 1970 — he is the only player to have won three World Cups. At club level Pelé spent the bulk of his career with Santos FC (1956–1974), where he won numerous domestic and international titles and became an international sporting icon; he then finished his playing career with the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League (1975–1977), helping raise the profile of football (soccer) in the United States. Over his career he is credited with scoring over a thousand goals in official and friendly matches, a tally often cited in contemporary accounts and statistical summaries. After retiring from professional play Pelé remained a prominent public figure: he authored books, appeared in films, supported charitable causes, worked as Brazil’s Minister of Sports in the 1990s, and served as a global ambassador for football and multiple commercial ventures, linking his sporting fame to business and humanitarian activities.